Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-10-15

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feet, and then fish, ashlete and all
went back among the thinkers. Man,
fish, oars and balers wsBe mixed up,
for a moment. At last the Savannah
aheftero made break for the dock
and, once upon it, sank down upon a.
pile of boards. He was as white as a.
sheet and was covered with scales
from head to foot.
''Send fora doctor .r' he gasped, as
the men crowded around.
why? What's the matter with
you any way ?"
"I've had g stroke, whispered the,
victim. "The moment l stopped to.
lift it, felt it runnm' all over me.
It's in our family; but I've got 1T
bad" and here he rubbed his arms
and legs. 1t knocked me clean off
my feet and he added, 'and my
limbs felt like sticks. "Send-" and
here a roar of laughter broke from
the men, and one of them, Selling him
by the arms, jerked him to his feet,
"You are all right, my lad only
the next time don't go fooling around
old Amos. He's hard nut.
Here's yer money, sonny" said
the old man, holding out bill.
You've earned it.n
what do you mean?" gasped the
athlete.
"What do mean? Why, jest this;
Yer hav'nt had shock of paralysis.
Yer tried to heft one of these burned
torpeders, They'll knock a mule
down if yer gives 'em a chance.
She athlete looked vacantly ahead,
took back his money and left amid
the renewed laughter Of the crowd.
"Hell have q yarn to tell the Sa-
vannah folks" said the perpetrator
of the joke" but l do hate to hear
man blow and thought I'd take him
down. Injured? No, stree. He'll
feel stiff for an hour or so, but it
won't hurt him. I've been struck
by them hundred times, and it's no
fun. 1 can tell yer. It's just like
being struck by mild stroke of
lightning. / don't generally touch
'em, but man gave me 81 to fetch
one in, so 1 kept it in the boat.
They'll shock you right through the
net. When / was hauling in the
tinker seine this morning knowed l
had shock-fish from the jerking of
my arms The shocks come fright
up the wet cording, so that some
times you can't hang on anyhow.
I've seen man who struck one with
an iron harpoon, thinking it a skate,
knocked so quick he did't know what
hit hifs
"You remember old Curt, that
used to do the chores around here
ten years ago? He lived on rum
he'd do anything for it. Well, Perez
Haddon put up a big job on him
once. He'd had the JIM jams, and
he'd sworn off any quantity of times,
but always got back again. He was
just getting over spree when Perez
came along with a shock-fsh. Old
Curt had never seen one before, 80
Perez walks up and says: Curt
where can I get this fish cleaned ?
What's it worth 2" says Curt. well,
half dollar, reckon says.Perce.
I'm draw it myself says the old
niger. go ahead. says Perez, and
the old man fetched out his big case
knife and began, two or three of the
boyes gathered around. You amt so
steady as I've seen you, Curt, says
Perez, nearly bursting a.laughing,
for as soon as the old man touched
the fish his arm shot out. so that the
knife few about three. foot. He
didn't say anything, but picked the
knife up jabbed it into the fish again.
You'd have thought he was making
passes like slight of-hand-chap; his
hands jerked this way and that. and
the sweat rolled down off his face like
rain. At last he dropped her, and
sat right down on the grass and says:
'Perce, give me something to steady